Reality check: Australians divided on gender equality while evidence paints a different picture

Australians are split. Half think women in Australia today are treated fairly and have access to equal opportunities, half say we still have work to do.

Plan International Australia chief executive, Susanne Legena, said that the new report findings highlight a concerning gap between perception and reality when it comes to gender equality in Australia.

“While 60% of people believe we are close to or have already achieved gender equality, real-world data on the gender pay gap, workplace discrimination and underrepresentation of women in leadership tell a different story,” Legena said.

“The fact that 50% of Australians believe women are treated fairly in most areas of life ignores persistent challenges such as unpaid labour disparities, gender-based violence on our streets and in our homes and systemic barriers in career advancement.”

Last month, Parliament passed amendments to the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (the Act), requiring employers to set gender equality targets and more importantly, make real progress on them.

Mary Wooldridge, CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), welcomed the passage of the Bill but made it clear that the new requirement aims to push employers beyond surface-level efforts.

Legena added, “We now find ourselves at a pivotal moment in time, where backlash against gender equality, cuts to global aid, escalating humanitarian crises, and political and economic instability are rolling back decades of hard-won progress.

“From limits on reproductive rights to restrictions on education and growing gender-based violence, these shifts are not just happening in far-off countries – they are reaching our own shores. In Australia, we’re seeing rising rhetoric against diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and a growing resistance to the notion of gender equality as a fundamental human right.”

Lead researcher Dr Rebecca Huntley said “Our research confirms the effectiveness of messaging principles based on commonly held values expressed in accessible language. This, coupled with everyday examples of the impact on people of all genders in a range of settings make the problem recognisable and relevant, points the way forward for a more productive and impactful discussion about gender equality.”

Phase Two of Gender Compass shows leaders and organisations how to energise the Trailblazers and avoid polarising the Rejectors. But it also, most critically, shows how we can engage the ‘moveable middle’ and bring more people into the conversation about gender equality, despite the political and social challenges of the moment.

Gender Compass is fully funded and supported by Minderoo Foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Snow Foundation, Equity Trustees, Trawalla Foundation, Australians Investing in Women, and Red Rocketship Foundation.

In reimagining healthcare across the entire patient journey, Health Industry Hub^TM is the only one-stop-hub uniting the diversity of the Pharma, MedTech, Diagnostics & Biotech sectors to inspire meaningful change.

The Health Industry Hub^TM content is copyright protected. Access is available under individual user licenses. Please click here to subscribe and visit T&Cs here.